"When the wind blows, it wobbles": India's 21-meter giant Lionel Messi statue, finally removed in emergency, faces 'great humiliation'... on the verge of collapse, "tied up with ropes"

*This content was translated by AI.

A 21-meter-tall Lionel Messi statue erected in India swayed severely and is now being removed.

On the 27th (Korean time), the UK's BBC reported, "A giant Messi statue erected in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is scheduled to be removed and relocated due to structural safety concerns."

The statue was built by Indian authorities last December to coincide with Messi's visit to India for his "GOAT (Greatest Of All Time·Greatest Player of All Time)" tour. At the time, 45 workers assembled it over 27 days, and it was constructed using fiberglass and steel structures.

Messi attended the unveiling ceremony via video call and personally pressed a remote control button to reveal the statue to the public. At that time, Messi experienced a series of difficulties, including a violent incident, while attending an event at Salt Lake Stadium during his Kolkata tour. As a result of this fallout, he could not visit the statue unveiling ceremony in person and had to participate in the event remotely by appearing on a screen via video call and pressing the button.

Recently, local residents have repeatedly filed complaints that the statue sways in the wind. On the 25th, an on-site inspection by engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) revealed serious defects in the statue's structural safety. Consequently, authorities immediately ordered its removal and relocation.

Sharadwat Mukherjee Seo Beng-gol-ju (Rep.) explained, "We judged that the statue of the Argentine football legend was not safe. We personally witnessed it swaying in the wind." He added, "Although demolition work is not easy due to the busy roads and subway lines around the statue," he promised, "We will remove the statue as quickly as possible."

Currently, authorities have tightly secured the Messi statue with thick nylon ropes. Barricades have been set up on-site to completely control access for both pedestrians and vehicles, and a new location for the statue is being sought.

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*This content was translated by AI.